


We're the Lucky Ones

by radiantbeams



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Step-parents, my heart aches from writing this it's so SWEET im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 20:53:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14065365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiantbeams/pseuds/radiantbeams
Summary: "You’re my Freddie and I’m your Ellie,” she says, holding out her pinky.She doesn’t remember when they started doing this, but now it’s almost second nature as Freddie links his pinky with hers. “Always.”~*~Freddie gets hurt at school and Eleanor is there to take care of him.





	We're the Lucky Ones

**Author's Note:**

> this hasn't been beta-d yet, sorry!! also it's 3am why am I writing this who let me do this
> 
> additionally: if you are a larrie, or just someone who doesn't support elounor, don't read this fic. don't waste your time reading something you know you won't enjoy. it's pointless and, to be honest, rather childish. i am not the type of anti to be rude or mocking toward larries, and i think it's fair for me to ask for the same respect. 
> 
> if you don't have something nice to say, please just don't say anything at all.

Eleanor is  _ trying _ she really is. But this whole  _ step-mum _ thing is a bit… overwhelming at times. She loves Freddie, she really really does, but Eleanor’s never quite thought of herself as  _ mum _ material. It was part of the reason her and Lou broke up the first time. But she just-- Fred is almost five now and she’s had time to work it all out of course. They’ve spent loads of afternoons together, just the two of them. She’s played every shark-themed board game known to man, because Freddie really  _ really _ loves sharks. She’s sat through hundreds of little mock performances where Fred wants to be just like his Dad. She and Freddie are  _ great together _ , but in all those times, in all these years, Louis has always been just a step away. Down the road at the studio, in the next room working on lyrics, run out to the grocers for some milk. Always right around the corner if any emergency were to come up. But he just got on a flight from Tokyo and Briana was supposed to have Freddie all week until Louis could get back, and then the pre-school called. The secretary on the phone saying they couldn’t get ahold of Briana or Louis (of course) and she was next on the list and there’s been an incident on the playground and if she could come sign some things and take him home. And well,  _ shit _ .

 

She’s not his mum. She’s just his dad’s fun girlfriend who buys him toys and sneaks him an extra helping of ice cream. It’s hard, to be more than that, when Fred really only spends about 30% of his time with Louis. She’s not really even his anything, since her and Louis have been so lackadaisical about finally tying the knot. 

 

Suddenly, in the face of real adult independent  _ parenting _ Eleanor finds herself freaking out. What if he’s gravely injured? What if he’s injured another student? Which honestly wouldn’t surprise her because this is Louis’s child after all. She loves Fred but he is by no means an angel. What if he needs serious parental discipline? What then? Eleanor doesn’t do discipline! She’s never even read a parenting book in her life. She should have definitely read a parenting book before now. Good lord, what was she thinking? Okay, okay, she needs to get it together. Freddie needs her and she can be there for him, that’s all this is. One step at a time. It’s probably nothing anyway. He goes to one of those super fancy private schools that call the parents for every little papercut. It’s nothing, he’s fine.

 

On the way to the school she gives Briana a last ditch effort call. She leaves a voicemail and hopes her voice sounds more steady over the phone than it does in her head. 

 

_ Hey Bri, the school just called. I’m on my way to pick up Freddie since they couldn’t get ahold of you and Lou’s still on his way back from Japan. Call back soon, everything should be fine. I’ll keep you updated. _

 

Oh jesus her heart is beating so fast. Eleanor tries to walk calmly up to the entrance once she’s parked her car, but it’s definitely more of a jog. No need to be frantic, he’s fine.

 

“Hello, I was called about Freddie Tomlinson?” She tells the lady sitting at the front desk. Susan, her name tag says, is wearing a huge silver broach over her baby pink cardigan and has one of those sweet grandmum-type faces.

 

“Right, nothing to be worried about dear, little Freddie’s just fine.” Susan says. Eleanor is a bit embarrassed that her worry is really  _ that _ apparent, but also thankful for her reassurance.

 

Once she hands over her ID and signs in, Susan leads her down to the nurse’s station. Eleanor fumbles with the ‘Visitor’ tag, trying to figure out where to clip it. It’s only then that she realizes she’s still in her clothes from work, some fancy slip dress and a fucking  _ pink faux fur _ coat. She looks like a model and like-- she is a model but she doesn’t want to  _ look like one _ . Especially around all these people at her step-son’s  _ school _ . They’re probably judging her so badly. If her face wasn’t caked in 10 layers of makeup then they’d see her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

 

She’s looking down, still fiddling with the clasp on her Chanel bag, putting her ID away, when she walks through the door to the infirmary.

 

“Ellie!” 

 

She hears Freddie’s excited voice. When she looks up, her sunglasses sliding precariously back on her head, it’s like all the worry rushes out of her in a  _ woosh _ . There he is, sitting up on a very official gurney, a bandage around his elbow, sucking on a lolly. She beams at him, scanning over the rest of him to see that he doesn’t look too rough around the edges. It’s like she hadn’t taken a breath since the school called.

 

“Freddie, darling, what happened?” Eleanor clips over to him in her stupidly extravagant high heels. She really should keep a change of clothes in her trunk.

 

Her brow is furrowed as she grabs at his shoulders, skimming down to check for additional injury. Normal school wear and tear, except for the bandage, some grass stains on his knees, his shirt untucked from his trousers and peeking out from under his uniform sweater, one shoe untied. Nothing too untoward.

 

“Jason and I were playing pirates and I had to walk the plank!” He says excitedly, much too loud.

 

“Just a bit of a tumble.” The nurse (because, oh right, there are other people here) begins to explain. Fred takes the corner of Eleanor’s jacket in between his hands, examining the soft material. “He’s got a slight sprain in his elbow so he’ll have to wear the compression wrap for a few days. Nothing to worry about, happens all the time.” She quickly adds when she sees Eleanor’s panicked expression. “Just some minor pain probably through tomorrow or so, bit of ibuprofen should fix it right up.”

 

The nurse goes on for a bit more, but Eleanor is happy just running her fingers through Freddie’s hair, knowing he’s okay. She’s shown how to wrap the ACE bandage, signs some waivers, told more about how to care for Freddie’s arm once they get home. Eleanor tries to take it all in, so she can relay it all to well-- his parents later tonight, but it’s going over her head some. Natashia, the nurse, assures her she’s written it all down and that makes El feel loads better.

 

“Ellie I’m tired. Can we go home?” Freddie asks, tugging at her.

 

“Okay, baby, soon,” she says softly, kissing him on the top of his head. Natashia is still staying Important things but sends them off moments later once Freddie really starts drooping against her side.

 

She gets him home in one piece. She carries his little comic book backpack in one hand and he may be definitely too big to be carried anymore but the way he clings to her on their way inside she might as well be. Natashia said the ibuprofen would knock him out for a bit so Eleanor’s not worried... too much. She helps him out of his uniform and into his favorite iron man pajamas, Clifford taking his spot at the foot of Freddie’s bed.

 

Finally,  _ finally _ , she’s able to change out of her fucking outfit (costume, more like). She pulls on a pair of Louis’s trackies and a sweater she’s had since Uni. It’s after lunch but still too early for dinner, but she sets about making a snack for when Fred wakes up, Bruce following at her heels.

 

Eleanor gets a few hours later from Briana. She’s been in Napa with her fiance all day with no service. Bri says she can rush home and come get him but Eleanor assures her that she’s got it. She has enough to worry about with wedding planning, and Louis should get in late tonight. What’s one day early for Fred to stay with them?

 

“Ellie?” She hears as she sends a text off to Louis to call her when he touches down. Freddie’s rubbing his eye with the back of his hand, his blond hair sticking straight up in the back. Clifford is dutifully at his side, Freddie is probably his very favorite person in the world. Eleanor can definitely relate to that.

 

“Yes, baby? You hungry? I made you a snack,” she leads him over to the couch, pulling a throw blanket off the back of it to get him settled.

 

“M’ arm hurts,” he mumbles.

 

“Okay, darling, I’ll get something for you,” she rummages through the stuff the school gave her, giving Freddie the right amount and turning on Nickelodeon. Louis hates him watching too much TV but Eleanor thinks he deserves it. Even if he did voluntarily walk right off a jungle gym platform. 

 

The medicine keeps Freddie a little sleepy the rest of the afternoon, but she manages to get him to eat some dinner. Eleanor makes it extra enticing by whipping up his favorite, Kraft Mac n Cheese. El doesn’t really know how to make much else than that but it really is his favorite.

 

She doesn’t get a call from Louis after she gets Freddie to bed, which is minorly concerning, but she shrugs it off. Headlights flash against the front of the house as a car pulls into the drive. It’s just past eleven and Eleanor has been watching Sex in the City reruns for hours, a bit bored if she’s honest.

 

“El, oh my god! Where is he?” Louis says as he bursts in from the side door, his driver carrying his suitcases in behind him. His eyes are frantic as he makes a run for the stairs but Eleanor steps in front of him, smiling softly.

 

“He’s fine, just a tumble, nothing to worry about. He’s a bit sleepy because of the pain meds but it’s only a sprain,” she relays what the school said. She upends her purse to tip the driver when it’s obvious Louis hasn’t even thought to do it.

 

“Pain? How bad is it? I feel so bad I couldn’t be there for him. Where was Briana?” He runs a hand through his greasy hair, his clothes all rumpled from the plane. There are deep dark bruises under his eyes because he never gets enough sleep when he travels.

 

Eleanor closes the door behind the chauffeur before turning to answer his questions. “Babe, love,” she runs her hands down his shoulders, pulling him in for a hug. “He’s good, I promise.” She brings up a hand to cradle the back of his head the way she knows he likes. 

 

He brings his arms up to wrap around her waist and sighs against her neck. “Sorry, just worried.”

 

She huffs out a laugh, pulling away to get out the kettle and make tea. “God when they called I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest I was so stressed out. Apparently Brianna and Nathan were in Napa, wedding stuff. I told them not to rush back, they’ll bring his things over tomorrow,” Eleanor is so focused on what she’s doing she startles a bit when Louis comes up behind her, pressing up close.

 

“I love you,” he kisses her cheek, thumbs pressing into her hips, “thank you for taking care of him, for being here.”

 

She smiles, turning away a bit to hide her blush. “You don’t have to thank me, I-- He’s--” she turns in his arms so they’re face to face again. “He’s my son. I don’t-- I know I’m not--” she hesitates, taking a deep breath. “I’m just his step-mum or whatever, but he’s mine, ours. I love him and I always want to be there for him.”

 

Louis meets her gaze, eyes soft. He pulls her in for a kiss; she sighs into it. “You’re an amazing mum, love. Freddie and I are both so lucky to have you,” Louis says, eyes closed. He’s got their foreheads pressed together, his thumb rubbing along her cheekbone, hand holding her face.

 

“I’m the lucky one,” she whispers, staying close for a moment, wrapped in Louis’s arms, before pulling away. “Go check on him, he’ll be out like a light I’m sure. Cliff hasn’t left his side, of course,” she says, bringing up her mug of tea to her lips.

 

Louis kisses her one last time before heading up the stairs. He joins her back on the couch, cuddling close. They both idly watch a cooking show on mute while they talk about Fred and Louis’s trip, Eleanor’s next shoot and plans for the weekend. It’s so nice, to have him here, close. Louis’s been so busy with his next album she feels like they barely have time for this, just them, nowadays.

 

She pushes his hair off his forehead, smiling as his fingers slip up under her sweater, finding the dip in her waist like they always do. They must fall asleep like that because next thing she knows she’s waking up to Freddie calling her name from the stairs.

 

Eleanor let’s Louis sleep, extracting herself from his grasp. “We gotta be quiet, darling. Daddy’s sleeping. Come help me with breakfast, what do you think daddy wants?” She smiles at him, taking his hand as they walk to the kitchen.

 

“Pancakes!” Freddie says excitedly, no less quiet than before. “With lots of chocolate chips,” he holds up his arms so she can place him on the counter, his little feet banging against the cupboards.

 

“Pancakes it is!” She laughs, tickling under his arms, leaning in to gently kiss his wrapped elbow. 

 

Freddie launches into a story about his playing yesterday, explaining why he just  _ had _ to walk the plank and fall almost to his death. Eleanor is going to let Louis handle that one so she just nods along and listens.

 

She jumps almost out of her skin when he screeches “Daddy!” while her back is turned to the stove.

 

“I smell breakfast!” Louis roars, swooping in to cuddle Freddie close to his chest. Fred is laughing but Eleanor can see the strain in Louis’s back, how shaken he still was from yesterday.

 

Eleanor leans against the sink, spatula in hand, to watch them interact. Louis checks Freddie all over just like she did yesterday, for anything out of the ordinary. He wraps and unwraps Freddie’s bandage. Fred none the wiser as he relays everything that’s happened in his life since he last saw his father, allowing himself to be manhandled.

 

“Daddy,” Fred calls to get his attention, “my Ellie came and got me from school yesterday! She let me watch cartoons!”

 

Louis pretends to look surprised. “Did she?” He asks, pouring out juice for each of them.

 

Fred nods, “I was hurt and she took care of me.”

 

For some reason that gets Eleanor’s eyes misting over and she tries to subtly wipe at her eyes when Louis comes over to wrap an arm around her waist.

 

“Thank you, Ellie,” Freddie says, reaching out to tug at her sleeve. “I love you.”

 

She returns his grin, a little misty still. “I love you too, baby. You’re my Freddie and I’m your Ellie,” she says, holding out her pinky. 

 

She doesn’t remember when they started doing this, but now it’s almost second nature as Freddie links his pinky with hers. “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> [HERE](http://radiantbeams.tumblr.com/post/172162801059/were-the-lucky-ones-25k-eleanor-calderlouis) is the rebloggable tumblr post! 
> 
> Thanks for reading :) this was sooooo fun to write, I love elounor <3


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